Accident Overview
On February 6, 2019, about 1530 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registration N997MA, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain short of the runway near Aurora, Oregon. The private pilot and a flight instructor aboard were seriously injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight.
Flight Details
The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to practice commercial pilot maneuvers. After completing slow flight, chandelles, lazy eights, and eights on pylons, the aircraft returned to the airport. As the airplane entered the traffic pattern, the pilot and instructor discussed how to perform a practice power-off 180° landing.
Sequence of Events
When the airplane was abeam the 1,000-foot runway markings, the pilot reduced the engine power to idle and initiated a left turn toward the runway. The pilot later stated that he realized the airplane was “probably not going to make the runway” and that it was “not on final course.” He recalled the airplane turning sharply to the left as he pulled up on the control yoke and added right rudder. The pilot could not recall whether he applied power during this sequence. No mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane were reported.
Video Evidence
A video recording of the event showed the airplane in a left turn as it descended toward the runway. The airplane’s left bank decreased to a wings-level attitude before it entered a steeper left bank, followed immediately by a right bank. The airplane then descended into the ground short of the runway.
Damage
The airplane’s right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage.